Helen Kerr, Stevenage Socialist Party
On 5 and 6 September, Arriva bus drivers took strike action across the three counties of Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire, for the first time in decades. Eight depots took part in the action: Luton, Aylesbury, High Wycombe, Milton Keynes, Ware, Stevenage, Watford and Hemel Hempstead. Over 900 Unite members participated in the strike.
I visited Stevenage and Ware depots to talk to the strikers. Spirits were high and everyone was very friendly. It was a brilliant turnout, the drivers were all in touch with each other from different depots, phones frequently pinged with a photo of a different picket line, or an update as to what management may have said or done, if they bothered to talk to them. Strong communication amongst the strikers has played a key role in maintaining a united front.
The strikers at Stevenage explained that while they want a pay increase, this is more about parity of pay, terms and conditions.
Arriva has historically negotiated with individual depots across the region. This has led to a pay differential between depots of 22 pence an hour; so a driver leaving Stevenage to take passengers to Luton is paid £13.45 an hour whereas, a driver from Luton doing the same route in reverse is on £13.67!
All the members have agreed that a pay rise should be across the board, with the drivers in the Bedfordshire depots being as resolute as those in Herts that this disparity needs to be squashed.
Arriva has been using divide and conquer tactics. It offered an increase which still left a 16p disparity, hoping the larger depots would accept, leaving the others weakened. But the drivers are standing shoulder to shoulder on this.
In fact, the Unite regional officer and negotiating team have put forward a counter proposal, which will actually cost Arriva less than its own, and will see all depots on the same rate of pay. Arriva has dismissed this; it does not want a united workforce. So the strikes will continue with further days being announced.
